The present invention is related to systems and methods for intra-oral drug delivery. As noted in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,382 entitled “Methods and systems for concurrent tooth repositioning and substance delivery,” the content of which is incorporated herewith, the repositioning of teeth may be accomplished with the use of a series of removable elastic positioning appliances such as the Invisalign® system available from Align Technology, Inc., the assignee of the present invention. Such appliances have a thin shell of elastic material that generally conforms to a patient's teeth but is slightly out of alignment with an initial or immediately prior tooth configuration. Placement of the elastic positioner over the teeth applies controlled forces in specific locations to gradually move the teeth into the new configuration. Repetition of this process with successive appliances comprising new configurations eventually moves the teeth through a series of intermediate configurations or alignment patterns to a final desired configuration. A full description of an exemplary elastic polymeric positioning appliance is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,893, and in published PCT application WO 98/58596, the content of these documents are incorporated by reference for all purposes.
The appliance is effective in repositioning teeth when it is placed over the patient's teeth. Removal of the appliance for any reason interrupts the treatment plan and lengthens the overall period of treatment. Therefore, removal of the appliance should be minimized for effective and timely treatment. However, a number of dental and periodontal therapies which may be desired or required by the patient may not be effectively utilized while the appliance is in place. Such therapies may be prescribed by a practitioner to improve oral health or they may be requested by the patient for cosmetic purposes.
The '382 patent discloses devices, systems and methods for orthodontic treatment using elastic repositioning appliances while concurrently providing dental and periodontal therapies. Such therapies are traditionally provided with the use of a variety of accessories and devices which are applied when the repositioning appliance is removed from the patient's mouth. The '382 system eliminates the need for such removal and additional devices by incorporating these therapies into the repositioning appliance. United States Patent Application 20040115587, the content of which is incorporated herewith, discloses an orthodontic treatment involving applying force to reposition teeth and administering a tissue remodeling and/or an angiogenic substance(s) to the periodontal tissue surrounding the teeth to be moved. The substance(s) may be delivered before, during, or after the teeth are moved, and the substance(s) may be selectively applied only to those teeth undergoing movement at any particular time. The substance(s) may be applied from the dental repositioning appliance or may be applied separately, either topically or by injection.